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Revolutionary Truth

I wonder, how has your view of God been shaped? If it is by something other than the Bible, then logic dictates that you don’t know the God of the Bible. That makes sense doesn’t it? How would you know this God of the Bible without reading it? How can we be like him if we don’t really know him?  He has chosen to reveal himself through his word, and it is read and preached throughout the world by messengers he has called to do this. I want to challenge your view of God.

If you think you know God from your own imagination, it is only a vague idea of god or a mouldable god that you fit to what suits you, depending on how you feel! Maybe it’s a genie god who you go to when you need something? Well, I’m glad to say that this isn’t the covenantal God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the patriarchs of Israel, found in the Old Testament. This same faithful God is proclaimed by the Apostle Peter (in the New Testament) at the Beautiful Gate at the Temple in Jerusalem, found in Acts chapter 3, verse 13-15:

“The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses”.

This, the trinitarian and covenantal God of the Jews sent his Son Jesus to satisfy and reform the old covenant into the new. But, since the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the one who sent Jesus, the revolutionary Jesus is utterly orthodox. He fulfils the law and the prophetic writing found in the Old Testament by presenting himself as the lamb to be slain for the world.

The First Reformer

Biblical reformation draws us closer to the God of the Bible and the truth, and away from the world. It’s not rebellion for rebellion’s sake. Through reforming the covenant (Hebrews 9:8-10), Jesus makes the God of the bible known to his covenant people, Israel, and also to the gentiles. The magnificent and revolutionary Jesus is the first Reformer.

So, if Jesus makes God known, we must shape our knowledge of God and his world from the source of truth, his word. It was, and still is, a revolutionary and dangerous truth, but at the same time it is orthodox. (Orthodoxy is simply the traditional or generally accepted beliefs held by believers). In the Protestant Christian’s case, these orthodox beliefs are at odds with a world in rebellion against the God who created it. This is a high view of God and the church, not humanising God into our neat little view of the world. But, it is also not angular and separatist, all about protecting doctrinal purity. It is confident and generous like the Reformers, keen to share the revolution with those who need to hear.

Becoming like our Reforming God

Let’s take a brief look at one of those Reformers, John Calvin of Geneva. Calvin was confident in God’s sovereignty, and in his theological writings he championed this because he wanted people to see and understand how awesome and glorious the God of the bible is. This truth enabled people to love and fear God more and surrender under his mighty hand.

Calvin didn’t mean people to just accept the world and everything as set and unchangeable, or to stop trying to reach people with the gospel. God is absolutely sovereign, but he didn’t create mindless robots. This is obvious from the beginning with the creation covenant between God and Adam. Adam obviously had free will to break the covenant - because he did.

Reformers like John Calvin and Martin Luther are not seeking to reform the church because they like causing trouble but are becoming like their revolutionary God through Jesus. To have this reformation theology of God, affects our view of the world and our place in it. It means being ready to answer the Father's call to risk all for His Son and his free gift of righteousness. It's a mind-set that isn't satisfied with the world and quite often the state of the church. But, it is a mind-set that still strives for unity around an orthodox and biblical understanding of God. 

Heart of the Revolutionary

It is tempting to think that Calvin and Luther were hard-core risk takers, but that’s not what their writings say. The Christian reformer has a large heart full of the love and fear of almighty God. It is warmed by the fuel of the gospel burning deep down – this is a deep spiritual revolution! This kind of heart is the engine of the reformation, which starts deep within and works itself out.

Christ is all in, for his mission - when he was glorified on the cross. We Christians reflect Christ’s heart, following after him through death to resurrection. We are all in, like Jesus the reformer who has gone ahead. When you see, believe, fear and love the Father through the Son, you will be ‘all in’! Trusting that God has the best plan for your life, you’ll say ‘whatever it takes, I’m all in!’ We need to realise that God has the best plan to glorify himself through the local church, and so the logical response from the church is ‘we’re all in!’ The gospel sparks an unquenchable flame in our hearts, so are we willing to burn for it as did some of the English reformers martyred for holding to this orthodox understanding of the word of God? Are we ready to stand with Jesus, the first reformer? This is revolution!